Town looks to prioritize affordable housing

Ryan Fitzgerald

Friday

Feb 9, 2018 at 3:01 AM

CHATHAM – It’s no secret that Cape Cod towns have an affordable and attainable housing problem. Selectman Shareen Davis opened a discussion on the subject at Monday’s selectmen meeting. She noted that affordable housing in Chatham is under five percent and townspeople are leaving because they can't afford housing.

Davis is part of the group Citizens Initiative for Housing, made up of community members, some of whom are involved in Monomoy Community Services, the Angel Fund, Housing Authority, Affordable Housing Committee, and Habitat for Humanity.

Davis said for the past six months the group has been meeting to discuss how the private sector can partner with Chatham to find opportunities for more affordable housing and attainable housing for year-round residents above low income qualifications. She said this would address the 19 to 44-year-old demographic that the town is losing, and also senior and workforce housing.

“This is the lifeblood of our community,” she said.

The group has met with members of the community like state Rep. Sarah Peake (D-4th Barnstable), Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash, and CEO of the Community Development Partnership Jay Coburn to discuss this issue.

Coburn, who attended the meeting, noted that Provincetown has seen progress in its affordable housing stock because the town has a staff person dedicated to the issue. He said this position of a housing coordinator is a professional who can make housing solutions work.

Bringing on a housing coordinator is something town officials in Chatham and Harwich have been discussing. Just recently conservation preservation committees in both towns recommended the hiring of a joint housing coordinator to work in both towns. The position will be voted on at this year’s town meeting.

Chatham’s conservation preservation committee also recommended $10,000 to go toward an affordable housing production plan, according to Alix Heilala of the finance committee.

Selectman Jeffrey Dykens said the housing coordinator position is a good start to work collaboratively with Harwich to address the issue.

Coburn added: “We’ve done a great job of protecting our land and historical assets but we haven’t figured out a way to hold onto our people.”

More residents and town officials spoke out at Monday’s meeting as well. Chatham resident David Oppenheim, and current chairman of the housing authority Alan Mowry agreed that a public private partnership is a good idea to help secure parcels for affordable or attainable housing. Oppenheim said working with the private sector presents a great opportunity to move the process along in a faster and more efficient way.

Mowry said he believes the Cape has become such a desirable place that goals and objectives in the area have been tilted toward providing for the needs of a destination instead of a community. He asked, “Do we want a destination or a community?”

He added that he’s spoken to young people in construction or landscaping who make $20 or $25 an hour but still struggle to afford to live here.

Former chairman of the affordable housing committee Bill Bystrom said he believes the issue of affordable and attainable housing comes in an ebb and flow. “Maybe around 10 years ago selectmen listed affordable housing as a [top] priority,” he said.

“People realize we need affordable housing and then something comes along and we forget about it.” Bystrom said he is in favor of the housing coordinator position.

Executive Director of Chatham’s Housing Authority John Stewart presented some numbers to selectmen about Cape residents on housing wait lists. He said the number of residents on the senior housing wait list is 154, and there are 129 residents waiting for family housing, and 32 for the voucher program.

Selectman Cory Metters said the town has to think outside the box and take aggressive steps to move the issue forward.